THE water needs of the Integrated Food and Energy Development (IFED) project are behind the delay in the release of additional water entitlements from the Gilbert River announced last week by the state government.

It released additional water entitlements in the Flinders and Gilbert Rivers under an amended Gulf Water Resource Plan, opening up another 239,650ML to potential Flinders irrigators and making 467,000ML available in the Gilbert catchment. However, it said the Gilbert catchment reserves wouldn't be made available until after the IFED EIS was done.

More than 700,000 megalitres of additional water will be released for irrigation development, by the Queensland Government, from the Flinders and Gilbert River systems.

However, it remains unclear whether the increased water allocation, on top of an earlier release of 94,000ML by the previous LNP Government in 2013, will be enough to quench the thirst of inland towns such as Julia Creek, Richmond, Hughenden, and Georgetown for economic development.

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Dr Anthony Lynham, said tenders for 239,650ML of water from the Flinders River will open soon as a result of changes to the Gulf Water Resource Plan.

But a decision to delay the tender process for water from the Gilbert River has caused "angst" among producers in the Etheridge Shire, where there is concern the entire extra allocation of 467,000ML could go to a single, major cropping and grazing operation.